gardening with kids

Where to start?

This is the 3rd year I have grown vegetables in my back garden. I started growing carrots. When I moved into our house, the back garden was covered in stones. Since we have moved we have lain a lawn but it is just a patch and we have no deep soil.

So I garden in pots..

The first year we tried to plant carrots with the intention that the rabbit would get some....the truth is however that my kids got more than the rabbit!Quite often as I was preparing the dinner the kids would munch on a home grown carrot.

I was not sure what the best way was at first .. but now after a few years I have found that very large flower pots (where you have a lot of depth I use ones that are around 12 inches)

Carrot seeds are quite small so if you are allowing the kids to sprinkle the seeds - you will probably have to thin them out as they grow - you may lose some along the way...

The next thing we tried was Dwarf French beans, these are quite easily to grow. The whitish seed is nice and big for small hands to place into pots. These I have put in my 4 tier greenhouse shelving unit.

My yard has lots of slugs visiting so I try to make sure that there are pellets around my unit and that these plants are on higher shelves but they do need a watchful eye as even in my scottish weather they can dry up fast... they will need rotating too.

Strawberries and Potatoes

These I grow in Garden bags.

Strawberries - I have not grown these from seed but rather seedings. Strawberries are really easy to grow and a lovely fruit to eat. In the winter the plant will go into a dormant phase and the plants will probably be replace every 3 years.

Potatoes

These can also be grown in bags and there are lots of differing varieties which allow you to get several crops a year. They take about 12 weeks to grow and again need bags that can take 12 inches of compost.

So there you have it there a a few ways to have fun and learning with your kids.

This year we are extending things further and we a trialling lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and sweetcorn as well as all that is mentioned above.

So go on, give it a go!

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